EPC2014 delivers high frequency switching with enhanced performance in lead-free, RoHS compliant package.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – August 2011 - Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com) announces the introduction of the EPC2014 as the newest member of EPC’s second-generation enhanced performance eGaN FET family. The EPC2014 is environmentally friendly; being lead free, RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), and halogen free.

The EPC9004 has been recognized by Bodo’s Power Systems as the Product of the Month in the September, 2011 issue of the magazine. The EPC9004 facilitates rapid design of high frequency switching power conversion systems based on the 200 V EPC2012 with a ready-made, easy to connect development board.

Bodo's Power Systems
September, 2011

Read the article

EPC2012 delivers high frequency switching with enhanced performance in lead-free, RoHS compliant package.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – August 2011 - Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com) announces the introduction of the EPC2012 as the newest member of EPC’s second-generation enhanced performance eGaN FET family. The EPC2012 is environmentally friendly; being lead free, RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), and halogen free.

EPC9004 facilitates rapid design of high frequency switching power conversion systems based on the 200 V EPC2012 with a ready-made, easy to connect development board and well-documented engineering support materials.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—August 2011 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) today announced the introduction of the EPC9004 development board to make it easier for users to start designing with EPC’s 200 V enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN) field effect transistor (FET) in applications such as solar microinverters, class D audio amplifiers, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and synchronous rectification.

We know Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) has commercialized enhancement-mode GaN-on-Si FETs, or eGaN FETs as EPC calls them, for more than a year now. Concurrently, it has been working with partners to realize dedicated drivers for its eGaN FETs, which offer lower RDS(ON) at higher voltages, lower gate charge, and no reverse recovery loss (QRR)—all these properties from a smaller die size than silicon. In essence, by comparison to silicon MOSFETs, the eGaN FETs offer a dramatic reduction in figures of merit or FOM.

By Ashok Bindra
How2Power
June, 2011

Read the article

GaN (Gallium-Nitride) FETs appear poised to eat into silicon FETs market share as switching devices for high-voltage power conversion circuits.

By Margery Conner
EDN
June 20, 2011

Read the article

National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM) today introduced the industry’s first 100V half-bridge gate driver optimized for use with enhancement-mode Gallium-Nitride (GaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) in high-voltage power converters. Enhancement-mode GaN FETs enable new levels of efficiency and power density compared to standard metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) due to their low on-resistance (Rdson) and gate charge (Qg) as well as their ultra-small footprint, but driving them reliably presents significant new challenges. National’s LM5113 driver integrated circuit (IC) eliminates these challenges, enabling power designers to realize the benefits of GaN FETs in a variety of popular power topologies.

Read article

EL SEGUNDO, Calif-May 4, 2011 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation’s (EPC) family of enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN®) power FETs has won the Energy Technology Award issued as part of the prestigious EE Times Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards. These awards celebrate the creators of technology who demonstrate leadership and innovation in the global industry and shape the world we which we live.

“We are very proud to have won the ACE Award. This award substantiates that EPC’s enhancement-mode GaN power transistors represent a major breakthrough in power conversion technology. We believe that performance from silicon-based MOSFETs has reached the end of the road and that eGaN technology will lead the way for continued increases in performance in power management.” said Alex Lidow, EPC’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Microsemi is working with Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) www.epc-co.com in the development of a complete line of high performance FETS for high reliability space and military applications. A jointly researched paper entitled "Enhancement Mode Gallium Nitride Characteristics Under Long Term Stress" will be presented at the Government Microcircuit Applications and Critical Technology Conference (GOMAC), March 21-24, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. The study covers the reliability testing results and demonstrates the stability of the devices at temperature and under radiation exposure.

Read the article

Alex Lidow is interviewed by ECN's Editorial Director, Alix Paultre, on the Tinker's Toolbox, ECN's audio interview website.  The interview explores the attributes of GaN technology, applications opened as a result of GaN's superior performance to MOSFETs and reasons for the take-up of eGaN FET products over the past year.

Listen to Interview

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - March 15, 2011 - Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (www.epc-co.com) announce the introduction of the EPC2001 and EPC2015, two lead-free, RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN™) FETs.

The EPC2001 FET is a 100 V_DS device with a maximum R_DS(ON) of 7 milliohms with 5 V applied to the gate, and the EPC2015 is a 40 V_DS with a maximum R_DS(ON) of 4 milliohms. Both eGaN FETs provide significant performance advantages over similar state-of-the-art silicon-based power MOSFETs. Both devices have low on resistance, are smaller than silicon devices with similar resistance and have many times superior switching performance.

The eGaN FET is a viable and efficient alternative to standard MOSFET solutions in Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications. These FETs enable higher operating frequencies that can be leveraged into reduced converter size and cost. Both 13W and 26W PoE eGaN FET converters were built and evaluated side by side with standard MOSFET designs. In every instance, eGaN FET converters exhibited higher efficiencies with the potential of reducing system cost over their MOSFET counterparts.

By Johan Strydom, Ph.D., Vice President of Applications, EPC
Michael de Rooij, Ph.D., Director of Applications, EPC
March 1, 2011

Read the article

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) Market Leading eGaN™ FET Named Finalist in Prestigious 2010 EDN Innovation Awards Competition

EL SEGUNDO, Calif-February 23, 2011 - Efficient Power Conversion Corporation’s EPC1010 enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN™) power FET has been named a finalist in EDN’s 21st annual Innovation Awards http://innovation.edn.com/) within the Power IC’s category.

eGaN FETs differ from silicon MOSFETs in part because of their significantly faster switching speeds. In the second article of this series, we explore the different requirements for gate drive, layout, and thermal management.

By Johan Strydom PHD, Director of Application Engineering, EPC
Power Electronics Technology
January 1, 2011

Read the article

EL SEGUNDO, Calif-January 6, 2011 — Efficient Power Conversion Corporation’s (EPC) family of enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN™) power FETs have been honored with an Electronic Products’ Product of the Year award.

The editors of Electronic Products — a leading trade publication for electronic design engineers — evaluated thousands of products launched in 2010. The winning products were selected on the basis of innovative design, significant advancement in technology or application and substantial achievement in price and performance. The eGaN FETs demonstrated success in the category of discrete semiconductors.

EPC, the first company to deliver enhancement mode GaN (eGaN™) FETs to the market, has been recognized by EDN for inclusion on their list of "100 Hot Products for 2010."

Read the article

The intermediate bus architecture (IBA) is currently the most popular power system architecture in computing and telecommunications equipment. It typically consists of a +48 V system power distribution bus that feeds on-board bus converters, which in turn supply power to nonisolated, dc-dc converters. These nonisolated converters generate the low supply voltages required to power the various logic circuits. Because of their proximity to the circuits they power, these converters are commonly referred to as point-of-load converters (POLs).

By Johan Strydom, EPC, El Segundo, Calif. and Bob White, Embedded Power Labs, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
How2Power
November, 2010

Read the article

As enhancement mode gallium-nitride-on-silicon transistors (eGaN™) gain wider acceptance as the successor to the venerable - but aged - power MOSFET, designers have been able to improve power conversion efficiency, size, and cost. eGaN FETs, however, are based on a relatively new and immature technology with limited design infrastructure to quickly design and implement products.

By Johan Strydom PhD, Director of Application Engineering EPC
Bodo’s Power Systems
November, 2010

Read the article

The latest report from Yole Développement “GaN Technologies for Power Electronics Applications: Industry and Market Status & Forecasts” says the Total Accessible Market is $16.6b and is envisioned to be split into Power ICs, Power Discretes and Power Modules.

Compound Semiconductor
October 28, 2010

Read the article

Efficient Power Conversion’s (EPC) enhancement-mode gallium-nitride (eGaN) power transistors, although similar to standard power MOSFETs, deliver performance unattainable by silicon-based devices.

Yanping Ma, PhD, Efficient Power Conversion, El Segundo, Calif.
How2Power
October, 2010

Read the article